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A veces los niños no quieren dormirse o irse a la cama. Esto pu-ede ser un problema frustrante para los padres. Algunas criaturas que siempre han dormido bien pueden negar irse a dormir o des-pertarse du ra n te la noche.

Los niños necesitan una rutina y horas regulares de sueño, igual que para las comidas. Tanto Ud. co mo su hijo necesitan saber cuándo es hora de tomar la siesta y de acostarse. Si Ud. establece una hora fija todos los días, le resultará más fácil que su hijo se duerma pronto.

Para facilitar los preparativos de irse a la cama, adopte una ru-tina especial. Quince minutos antes de acostarse, dígale a su hijo que termine lo que está ha ciendo. Siga luego la rutina normal de lavarse los dientes, ponerse la piyama, leer un cuento o cantar una canción suave y meterse en la cama.

Los niños necesitan aprender a dormirse solos. Si Ud. se que-da con su hijo hasta que se duerma, pue de comenzar a demorar el proceso simplemente para que Ud. no se vaya del cuarto. Siga la rutina prelimi nar, léale o cuéntele un cuento, déle un beso y un abra zo y salga del cuarto cuando llegue el momento de dormir.

Algunas criaturas necesitan unos pocos minutos de reposo en la cama antes de quedarse dormidos. Deje que su hijo mire un libro o juegue tranquilo con un juguete. Evite los juegos que excitan los nervios, como las cosquillas y los juegos de manos. Dígale a su hijo que en unos pocos minutos deberá dejar de leer y acostarse a dormir.

1Extension Child Development and Family Life Specialist, Department of Extension Family and Consumer Sciences, New Mexico State University.

Helping Children Go to Bed/Cuando los niños no quieren irse a la cama Guide F-110/Guía F-110 Diana S. Del Campo1

Parents sometimes find that getting a child to sleep is one of the most frustrating problems they have. Children who have always slept well may suddenly refuse to go to bed or may start waking up during the night.

Children need regular routines and regular times for sleeping, just as they need regular times for meals. Both you and your children need to know when naptime and bedtime will arrive. You will have an easier time getting your children to sleep if you have a set time every day. A special bedtime routine helps young children go to sleep. Tell your children about 15 minutes before bedtime to finish what they are doing. Then follow a regular routine of tooth-brushing, putting on pajamas, reading a story or singing a quiet song, and getting into bed.

Children need to learn to fall asleep by them-selves. If you stay with your children until they fall asleep, they may begin taking longer and longer just to keep you around. Follow your bedtime rou-tines, read or tell a story, give the child a hug and kiss, and leave the room when it’s time for sleep.

Some children need a few minutes of quiet time in bed before they can fall asleep. Let the child look at a book or play quietly with a doll, but avoid excit-ing games like tickling and wrestling. Tell the child that in a few minutes it will be time to stop read-ing and go to sleep. You may want to use a kitchen timer. Set it for 5 or 10 minutes and when the bell goes off, it’s time for sleep.

If your child doesn’t want to sleep in the dark, put a small night-light in the room. Don’t make fun of a child’s fears. When a child wakes during the night and cries, be loving but firm. If you let the child get up or come into your bed, you’ll be start-ing a habit that’s hard to break. Reassure the child

Guide F-110 • Page 2

Si su hijo no quiere dormirse en la oscuridad, deje una peque-ña luz prendida. No se ría de sus miedos.

Cuando una criatura se despierta llorando durante la noche, sea cariñosa pero firme. Si Ud. permite que la criatura se levante o venga a su cama, puede co men zar un hábito difícil de romper. Asegure a su hijo de que todo está bien, pero dígale que es hora de dor mir y que debe acostarse.

La mayoría de los problemas relacionados con el sueño pueden resolverse en poco tiempo si Ud. trata a su hijo con cariño, suavi-dad y firmeza. Si su hijo se da cuenta que Ud. no le hace cumplir la rutina noctur na, tratará de retrasar al máximo la hora de irse a la cama.

Siga su rutina de cada noche. Algunas veces su hijo podrá no tener tanto sueño, pero puede quedarse quieto y tranquilo en su cuna o en su cama.

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Revised February 2012 Las Cruces, NM

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that she is safe, but tell her that it’s sleeping time now, and she must go back to sleep.

Most sleeping problems can be solved in a short time if you are gentle and loving but firm. If your children sense that you will not enforce bedtime routines, they will keep trying to push the limits.

Stick to your bedtime routine. On some days a child might not be as sleepy as other days, but he can still spend quiet time in his crib or bed.

Diana Del Campo is the Extension Child Development and Family Life Specialist in the Department of Exten-sion Family and Consumer Sciences at NMSU. She earned her doctorate at the University of Michigan and her master’s degree at Virginia Tech. She is the co- author of Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Childhood and Society from McGraw-Hill, which is in its 9th edition.

ADDITONAL INFORMATION/ INFORMACION ADICIONALFamily Development publications

produced by New Mexico State University’sCooperative Extension Service are all located at

http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_f/

Guide F-107: Helping Young Children Cope with Anger/Ayudándole a los niños pequeños a contolar el enojo

Guide F-108: Guiding Young Children/Guiando a los niños pequeños

Guide F-109: Toilet Training for Toddlers/Su bebé aprende a usar el baño

Guide F-110: Helping Children Go to Bed/Cuando los niños no quieren irse a la cama

Guide F-112: Temper Tantrums/Ataques de mal genioGuide F-115: Showing Love to Your Child/Demuestre el

cariño a su niñoGuide F-116: Listening is Important/Eschucha a

su hijoGuide F-120: Creating Strong FamiliesGuide F-122: Understanding TeensGuide F-213: When the New Baby Arrives/Cuando llegue el nuevo bebé

Adapted from a publication of the Cooperative Extension Service, University of California, Berkeley.